As browsers continue to add AI features to their products, Mozilla is looking to give users choice: The company announced Tuesday that it is launching an opt-in experiment that will give users access to a range of AI services in the experimental Nightly version of Firefox.
The company plans to refine the experience before rolling it out to the beta and final versions of Firefox.
Once users consent, they will be able to choose their preferred AI services. Mozilla's initial offerings include ChatGPT, Google Gemini, HuggingChat, and Le Chat Mistral, with the company planning to add more AI services over time.
“Providing choice for AI services is important for many reasons,” Firefox senior vice president Ian Carmichael wrote in a blog post. “First, users should be able to choose the service that works best for them and not be locked into a single provider. Second, all of these models are still being developed and improved — none are perfect, and each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Providing choice gives users the opportunity to try many services to find the one that best helps solve the problems they have.”
After selecting their preferred AI service, users can ask the chatbot to summarise information on a web page, simplify language, test their knowledge of the information, and more.
The idea behind the new service is to let users try out a few different chatbots and choose the one they like best. Firefox says the service is optional, so you don't have to opt in.
The release of this new experience comes at a time when companies like Google and Microsoft are adding AI chatbots to their browsers, and browser startups like Opera and DuckDuckGo are also adding AI chatbots to help users summarize web pages and ask questions.